Deborah Peoples wants ‘one Fort Worth’ as she officially enters race for mayor
Deborah Peoples is running for mayor on a platform of unity, saying it’s time for “One Fort Worth.”
The biggest challenge facing Fort Worth is a lack of unity, Peoples said in an interview with the Star-Telegram Wednesday after filing for the May 1 ballot. It’s a similar message to her 2019 door-to-door campaign, which also focused on equity issues in the city.
“Neighborhoods are divided not just by color, they’re divided by age group — a lot of young people feel disconnected,” Peoples said. “You look at the rapid growth in Fort Worth, many of those are younger Americans that are moving here, so we’ve got to find a way to reach across lines.”
Peoples, 68, is among a growing list of contenders to replace Mayor Betsy Price, 71, who will not seek a sixth term. Filing for the election opened Wednesday and the list of candidates includes Councilman Brian Byrd and two political newcomers, Mike Haynes and Chris Rector.
Peoples, the Tarrant County Democratic Party chairwoman, lost to Price by 14 in points in 2019 when less than 40,000 people cast votes for mayor. In an interview earlier this month, Peoples blamed spending for her loss, noting the Price has significantly deeper pockets.
Price has said repeatedly that the mayor should govern from outside City Hall, and Peoples agreed. She said she wanted to increase community forums and town halls. But addressing inequity in the city will go further to bringing the city together, she said. Many neighborhoods inside Loop 820 feel neglected and disenfranchised.
If elected, Peoples said she would also prioritize keeping the city’s budget stable as the economy recovers from COVID-19. Budget projections show a potential drop in the city’s revenue forecast, so she said she wants to make sure the city does not cut from programs that serve the city’s poorer areas.
The city’s police officers have been overburdened with handling situations they may not be trained for, she said. While she spoke highly of the community police program, she said she wanted to find alternatives for dispatching law enforcement to mental health checks and other calls.
“We should not be layering on the police,” she said. “We need to make sure that we’re giving them the resources and making sure they can concentrate on their main thing, and not be the catch-all for everything.”
Peoples was critical of a Race and Culture Task Force established four years ago, saying “anyone could tell you in a day what they took two years to come up with.” But, she said, the task force recommendations would go a long way to address inequity if the city moved quickly to adopt them. While a police monitor and diversity director have been hired, Peoples said the city has been too slow to address other issues like a civilian police oversight board and improvements to transportation.
Councilwoman Ann Zadeh has been contemplating a bid for mayor as well as Mattie Parker, a former chief of staff for the mayor and council who now helps lead an education-focused nonprofit.
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 4:42 PM.
